Flat panel monitors have become ubiquitous, providing users with video displays that are lighter and much thinner than traditional monitors such as cathode ray tubes (CRTs). Oftentimes, flat panel monitors are less than 4 inches thick, which can be as much as six or more times as thin as traditional monitors of various sizes. Examples of flat panel monitors include, plasma displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light-emitting diode displays (OLEDs), light-emitting diode displays (LEDs), electroluminescent displays (ELDs), and the like. While some forms of flat panel monitors are found within various portable devices such as laptops, cellular phones, and digital cameras, larger flat panel monitors have become mainstream in home theaters, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens.
Flat panel monitors have traditionally been sold at prices that exceed alternative monitors, such as CRTs. Accordingly, great care is taken when shipping and storing flat panel monitors. Commonly, layers of bubble-wrap, paper, and/or polystyrene have been positioned around the flat panel monitors before they are placed in one or more cardboard boxes. However, once the flat panel monitor is placed in use, such packing materials are seldom if ever kept by the owner. Such materials may be difficult to obtain or effectively apply to the flat panel monitors when available. Moreover, such materials may be cumbersome to remove from the flat panel monitors and leave the user with a pile of excess waste materials for disposal. Therefore, moving the flat panel monitor to a new location, whether it is from one room to another or from one state to another, has presented a number of challenges in effectively protecting the monitor screen from unintentional scratches or impacts.
When flat panel monitors are placed in service, their flat screens tend to effectively reflect light being emitted from external sources. Such light manifests itself in the form of annoying glare and image reflections that make it difficult for users to clearly view images being displayed on the flat panel monitor. Effective, removable, anti-glare shields have not been heretofore provided for use with flat panel monitors, let alone an anti-glare shield that may be used to protect the screen from damage.